Deadlight is a 2012 sidescrolling cinematic platforming survival horror video game developed by Tequila Works and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was released for Xbox 360 in August via Xbox Live Arcade, and for Windows in October via Steam. In 2016, a Director's Cut version of the game was released for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, published by Deep Silver.
The game is intended as a throwback and homage to classic sidescrolling cinematic platformers of the 1980s and early 1990s, such as Prince of Persia, Another World and Flashback. Set in Seattle in 1986, the game tells the story of Randall Wayne, a former park ranger who sets out to find his family in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Separated from the group with whom he has joined, Wayne must attempt to traverse Seattle to get to the "safe zone", where he believes his family will be waiting. On the way however, he must avoid both zombie hordes, and a group of vigilantes known as the "New Law", who have established themselves as the de facto authority in Seattle. As he travels across the city, he begins to question his memory of the events during the early stages of the outbreak.
Deadlight received mixed reviews, with critics praising the graphics and atmosphere, but criticizing the game's brevity and linearity. The PC version was generally seen as superior to the Xbox 360 version. The game was nominated for "Best Debut Game" at the 9th British Academy Games Awards, losing to The Unfinished Swan.
Gameplay
Deadlight is a 2.5D sidescrolling cinematic platformer/survival horror in which the player character, Randall Wayne, can move from left-to-right and right-to-left, but is unable to enter any environments off the aligned path. The character can walk, sprint, crouch, roll, jump, long jump, wall jump in narrow areas, climb fences and ladders, hang from wires, push and pull certain objects, and perform contextual actions such as using switches and examining bodies.
Gameplay consists primarily of platforming and solving puzzles so that Wayne can avoid the many "Shadows" (zombies) populating the streets of Seattle. The levels are designed in such a way that players are encouraged to avoid Shadows as much as possible, rather than engaging them in combat. When combat is unavoidable, the player can use a fire axe to execute short-range melee attacks, which consumes stamina, or later, a revolver, and subsequently a shotgun, although ammunition for both weapons is extremely limited. The player also gains access to a slingshot. However, this cannot be used in combat, and is instead used for solving puzzles. There are only a few occasions in the game when combat is unavoidable, and generally, the emphasis remains on avoiding and outwitting Shadows. One method of doing so is the "taunt" feature, which allows Wayne to lure Shadows to their death by calling to them, leading them into environmental hazards such as chasms or exposed electricity. Even if the player is armed, if he is attacked by more than three or four Shadows at any one time, it means almost certain death.
Wayne begins with three health points which can be replenished using first aid kits. The number of health points can increase by a single point if the player can find health power-ups. Sprinting, melee combat, and hanging from objects deplete the player's stamina meter, which causes the screen to blur, and Wayne to pause so as to get his breath back. As with the health meter, the amount of available stamina can be increased by power ups. Unlike health, however, the stamina meter refills over time.
The game contains many hidden collectable items. Some are entries from the player's diary, revealing more about his backstory. Others are personal memorabilia lost by people during the outbreak. The player can also find three fully playable 80s-style handheld video games. A recurring collectible comes in the form of identification cards, all of which feature the name of serial killers (such as John Wayne Gacy, Aileen Wuornos and Jeffrey Dahmer), although the photo ID on the cards feature members of Tequila Works' staff.
Plot
The game takes place in Seattle, beginning on July 4, 1986, one-hundred-and-forty-five days since "Patient Zero." Society has been nearly decimated by the outbreak of a virus that reanimates the dead, turning them into what the survivors refer to as "Shadows". Randall Wayne, a park ranger from Hope in Canada, has been separated from his wife Shannon and daughter Lydia for some time, and came to Seattle because of reports of the last remaining "Safe Point" in the Pacific Northwest. Convinced that his family is at the Safe Point, he is accompanied by fellow park ranger, Ben. After arriving in the city, they joined with a group of three other people; a police officer named Sam, and twin sisters, Stella and Karla.
As the game begins, Wayne has just shot Karla in the head, as she had been bitten and was about to turn into a Shadow. As Ben, Sam and Stella return to the warehouse in which they are sheltering, the building is attacked by Shadows, drawn by the gunfire. The trio flee through a skylight, but the ladder breaks before Wayne can follow, and he tells them to head to the Safe Point, where he will meet them.
Wayne leaves the warehouse and sets out across the city. He soon learns of a violent militia group calling itself the "New Law", who kill anyone who won't join them. After finding Sam's van crashed, Wayne finds Sam in a nearby shop, seriously wounded, and bleeding to death. The van was ambushed by the New Law, who took Ben and Stella with them, leaving Sam for dead. He tells Wayne the Safe Point is actually a trap set up by the New Law, hoping to lure in survivors, so they can kill them and take any supplies they may have. After Sam dies, Wayne sets out, determined to rescue his family and friends from the New Law.
